Featuring Flour and The Flax & Sunflower Seed Cracker Recipe

Being a diligent baker but making the switch to healthier foods, i came to question what is so 'bad' about the everyday self-raising and plain flour and what the differences are with 'healthier' options such as almond meal. Flour is an essential ingredient in cakes, breads, shortcrust, choux or puff pastry, initially i have been using rolled oats for baking which has its pros and cons, so i investigated and this is what is found...

Flour is basically ground wheat containing starch and gluten which gives shape and consistency to foods. The extraction rate is the proportion of flour produced from the initial weight of wheat, therefore if 100kg of wheat is used to obtain 75kg of flour the extraction ratio is 75%.

There are 3 basic types of flour produced from wheat:
- White: most of the bran and germ are removed, along with fat and minerals, with a 75% extraction rate.
- Brown: some of the bran and germ are removed, with an 85% extraction rate.
- Wholemeal (also called wholewheat or wholegrain): the whole of the grain is used and nothing removed or added, with a 100% extraction rate.

Traditional grain-based flours from rice and wheat are high in carbohydrates, providing, on average, 75g of carbohydrates per cup. These flours are not ideal for use on a low-carbohydrate diet. There are many lower-carbohydrate flour alternatives, though you must combine some with wheat flour for best results. High-protein, low-carbohydrate flour alternatives include soy, peanut and sunflower seed flours.

Wheat flour 

- Soft flour: contains around 8% protein and is used for cakes, biscuits and pastries.
- Plain flour: contains 10% protein and is used for biscuits and sauces. This type of flour is an acceptable compromise for most baking requirements.
- Self-raising flour: contains 10% protein and added raising agent (such as baking powder) and is used for sponge cakes, scones and puddings.
- Strong flour: contains a maximum of 17% protein and is used for bread, Yorkshire pudding, puff pastry and choux pastry.
- Wheatgerm flour: white or brown flour with at least 10% added wheatgerm (the most vitamin- and mineral-rich part of the wheat kernel. In fact, the germ is actually the embryo of the wheat plant).
- Malted wheatgrain flour: brown or wholemeal flour with added malted grains.
- Stoneground flour: wholemeal flour ground between two stones.

Other types of non-wheat flour, there also some types of flour which are not derived from wheat:

- Cornmeal (maize flour): depending on how finely it’s milled, cornmeal can be used for making bread or dishes such as Mexican tortillas or Italian polenta.
- Chestnut flour: greyish in colour and sweet-tasting, this flour is mixed with wheat flour and doesn’t contain gluten.
- Buckwheat flour: nutty, grey in colour and spotted with black bits, this makes an excellent wheat substitute for those with gluten allergies. It's often mixed with other flours because it has a bitter taste.
- Rice flour: made from milled or brown rice, this flour doesn’t contain gluten and is used a lot in South East Asian cusine.

Defatted Soy Flour - less carbohydrates, more protein, more fibre, gluten free

Soy Flour

A 100g serving, or about 1 cup of defatted soy flour provides 372 calories, 52g of protein, 9g of fat, 1.3g of saturated fat, 31g of carbohydrates, 16g of dietary fiber and 9mg of sodium, according to the Nutrition Value website. 

Soy flour is gluten-free and high in nearly all essential vitamins and minerals. In addition, because it is made from soybeans, it is a "complete" protein food, one that provides all of the essential amino acids. It is appropriate for those with a wheat allergy. The Soy Foods website recommends replacing 1/4 of the regular flour in a recipe with soy flour as long as it is not to make a yeast-raised product. You can replace more in recipes that are developed to use soy flour specifically.

Seed Flours - less carbohydrates, more protein, low fat, gluten free

Flours made from sesame or sunflower seeds are available, though they are not as easy to find as soy flour. 1 cup of sunflower seed flour, partially defatted, offers 326 calories, 48g of protein, 1g of fat, 35g of carbohydrates, 5g of dietary fiber and 3mg of sodium. It is particularly rich in thiamin, folate, selenium, calcium, zinc, niacin, magnesium and other nutrients. According to research conducted in Portugal and published in June 1998 in Archivos Latinoamericanos de Nutricion, you can replace up to 50 percent of the wheat flour in a bread recipe without significantly sacrificing quality. However, a bread recipe composed of 70 percent wheat flour and 30 percent seed flour yields better results.

'Nut' Flours - less carbohydrates, more protein, high fibre, higher in fats

Peanut flour, a legume-based flour like soy, is also gluten-free and low in carbohydrates. A 100g serving of defatted peanut flour offers 327 calories, 52g of protein, 1g of fat, 35g of carbohydrates and 16g of dietary fiber. You can substitute 30 percent of regular or self-rising flour with peanut flour in your favorite recipes. However, since peanut flour is not self-rising, you must add a rising agent in your recipe if specified. 

Almond flour, or almond meal, is made from ground blanched almonds and offers a pleasant, slightly sweet and nutty flavor. You use almond meal in small quantities. A 1/2 cup provides 320 calories, 12g of protein, 28g of fat, 12g of carbohydrates, 6g of dietary fiber and 0mg of sodium. It's a source of magnesium and vitamin E. You can use it for all baking applications but when making pizza dough, bread and muffins, for traditional texture, use it in combination with a gluten-containing flour.

My take home messages from this would be that traditional fours are high in carbohydrates and low in protein, while soy, seed or nut alternatives can be used for the gluten intolerant and also contain a higher amount of protein, fibre and is rich in other vitamins and minerals that wheat flour does not have. Watch out for but flours though, these are rich in protein and fibre but have a higher amount of calories and fat, most of this is the 'good' mono-saturated fats but that does not mean they should be consumed in excess. I think i will be trying some more soy and seed flours to my food especially with higher protein ratio's to help increase muscle and toning after the gym! Here is a good recipe to try found from 'Adventures of a cake girl', her recipes look great! :) 

Flax & Sunflower Seed Cracker Recipe

- From 'Adventures of a Cake girl'

Ingredients
1/2 cup flax meal
1/2 cup hot water
2 Tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds (i used whole, but you can grind your up if you want)
1/2 cup tapioca flour (or rice)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt

Directions
Pre-heat oven at 350 F (180 degrees Celcius)
First soak the flax meal with the hot water and olive oil for about 5 minutes
In a separate bowl mix together the sunflower seed, tapioca flour, baking soda, salt, onion powder and garlic salt.

With a fork whisk the flax meal water mixture until it becomes gummy, then add the mixture into the dry mixture. Stir the flax mixture into the drys until all the flour has soaked up the moisture.

Place the dough onto a gluten-free floured surface (i used tapioca flour), roll out the dough out until it reaches 1/8 inch thick. Cut the dough using a knife or pizza cutter into 1x1 inch pieces. Place the dough pieces on to a sheet pan that is lined with parchment paper and oiled.

Bake the crackers for 15 minutes at 350 F. Then turn off the heat and leave the crackers in the oven to dry for 10 minutes. After drying the crackers, serve them warm or cooled by themselves or with your favorite dip.